Fire merger would bring same goals, distinct ways to meet them

Friday

Nov 14, 2014 at 8:19 AM

Despite the unknowns, two top political leaders favor a merger of the county and city fire departments.

By Julian MarchJulian.March@StarNewsOnline.com

When you talk about merging New Hanover County's two largest fire departments, there are more questions than answers.How exactly would it work? How do taxpayers pay for it? Who runs it?Despite the unknowns, two top political leaders favor a merger. New Hanover Commissioners' Chairman Woody White wants to see the departments consolidated for better services at a lower cost. Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo has also offered his conditional support."I'm for a merger if it's fair and equitable and we have a clear understanding as to how it's paid for and how the expansion of the system takes place," Saffo said, though he added, "I'm not going to be supportive of it if I can't get those questions answered."Some official direction could come next week, when a consultant who recommended the consolidation speaks to city and county leaders. MoneyThe Wilmington Fire Department and the New Hanover County Fire Services are funded differently.The city fire department is included in the city's general fund, which is supported by city property taxes. Property owners in unincorporated parts of New Hanover County pay a separate tax rate – 7.9 cents per $100 of assessed value – for fire services. At this point, you can't say a merger would save a resident a finite dollar amount, said Wilmington Fire Chief Buddy Martinette. "It's too nebulous for that," he said. "Over time and from a strategic and effectiveness standpoint, it would save all citizens money," he said.County Fire Chief Donnie Hall said money should not be the sole motivator. It should be doing what's best for residents and staff, he said.Martinette said it is too early to say whether there could be a single countywide tax to fund a merged department. Yet the system would have to be cognizant of level of services so one resident wasn't paying for the services of another, he said.Response timesCity resident Cathy Shipton wants the fire departments to remain separate."I'm afraid that if the departments merge that the services that the citizens in Wilmington currently receive will be decreased or impaired or will be less than what we get now," she said.When asked how a merger could affect response times, Martinette simply said, "Response times are not going to change regardless."Because of automatic mutual aid, the departments are already sending the closest units to respond to a fire, Hall said. The consultant that evaluated the departments (Emergency Services Consulting International) rated the response times of both departments as "excellent." The average response time for New Hanover County was 5 minutes, 35 seconds. Wilmington's average response time was 4 minutes, 22 seconds. Response time measures how long it takes for a unit to arrive at a location, starting when it is notified of the incident. Insurance ratingsFire departments can be studied and classified on a 1-10 scale in what's called an "ISO rating," with 1 being the best.A lower classification can mean better insurance rates for homes and businesses.The Wilmington Fire Department has an ISO rating of "2," while almost all of unincorporated New Hanover County has a "4" rating.The difference in pricing for a comprehensive homeowner's policy for those ratings could be negligible, Martinette said. For example, say someone moves from a district rated a "5" to a house in a "2" district and asks his insurance representative how much he'll save. "He'll say, 'I have no idea,'" Martinette said. That's because there are many other variables.The southern county fire district between the city limits and Pleasure Island maintains a "4" rating. The northern district north of the city limits has a double rating of "4/9E." The "4" applies to properties within 5 miles of a fire station, while the "9E" applies to properties beyond 5 but less than 6 miles from a station. Only areas on Sidbury Road are outside 5 miles from a station, Hall said. If the departments merged into one, there could still be more than one insurance district, such as a northern and southern district and a city district, with each having its own rating. ReactionDonald Ragavage, president of the Wilmington Professional Firefighters Association, does not oppose consolidating specific functions to save money, but he isn't in favor of an all-out merger. "If it's not broke, why are you fixing it?" he said. "It's not going to give any better service to the city residents. It will give better service to the county. So where is the benefit to the city residents? There is none."Ragavage was recently fired from his job as a captain with the Wilmington Fire Department but he is appealing the termination. If you asked an average firefighter if consolidation is a good idea, Martinette said his answer would likely be no. "One, it involves change," he said. "Two, it involves the unknown."Chuck Bower, a city firefighter and past president of the firefighter's association, leans in favor of a merger."But, as a labor representative in the past and perhaps in the future, I do have concerns," he said. "We don't want anything taken away from us and we certainly don't want to lose any staffing."In public meetings, some residents have invoked a past merger, the 2008 creation of the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority as a reason against merger.Some hold an unfavorable view of the authority, which is governed by a board of directors selected by city and county leaders."I don't want to see the control of the department taken away from the city and put in an independent entity or agency that's not answerable to the citizens, either individually or through their elected officials," Shipton said.Martinette said it is too early to figure out how a merged department would be governed, but he said, "No one is going to recommend that this thing should be an authority."Ultimately, the county commissioners and city council members will set the direction, and their fire chiefs stand ready to implement it."We've got an open playing field to figure out," Hall said.